NAILS IN MY BOARD

I heard a story long ago, and perhaps you have too. I don’t remember some of the particulars, but what I do remember will probably suffice for my intended purpose.

Goes like this: A young boy was having problems being a good boy, as young boys sometimes do. His dad was having a hard time helping him to learn to be good, as dads sometimes do.

One day the dad had the young boy sit down with him as he laid out a plan to help the young boy see how often he was disobedient or did other thoughtless wrong things. He Gave him a nice clean 6’ long 2”x12” board and a box of 1 ½”nails. He told him that every time he did something wrong he was to drive one of the nails all the way into the board. When he did a good thing he would be allowed to pull 1 nail out of the board.
The son agreed and thus began the sequence of driving and pulling nails. At first the nails were being driven at a fierce rate while the pulling was somewhat sporadic. However, as the young boy saw his board filling up with nails rapidly, he began to make extra effort to do good things so he could pull more nails out. He would go to his dad triumphantly when he had a good day and show him the board. His dad would congratulate him and encourage him to keep up the good work.

This kept on over a few years when finally one day the son now older and the father-son relationship on the sound footing of Jesus; the son went to his dad and declared that he had removed the final nail. They both hugged and rejoiced at his growth. (it’ about here that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir begins singing THIS IS HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE.) Then they walked out, dads hand on sons shoulder to look at the board.

They both stood there for a long while… nothing said. When the son finally turned to his dad, there were tears in his eyes. I told you he’d grown older. There were tears in his dads eyes too, for you see the board was nearly destroyed by the claw hammer digging and prying to remove the old nails… and all those holes….

They hugged as his dad explained that… yes with Jesus and repentance your sins are forgiven. And yes you can feel free and forgiven. But your sins leave scars. You are not the only one damaged by your indulgences. That board will never be brought back to its original cleanness and newness. The board represents the effects of your sins on your parents, friends, and Jesus. Forgiveness and eternal life are gods gift to you… repentance and restitution are your gifts to God ands those you’ve sinned against.

People, don’t think it odd if you feel forgiven and free from your sins, but those you have sinned are having a little harder time rejoicing with you. You need to start sanding down that ole board, putting some putty in the holes, and trying to make some sort of restitution to the ones you’ve hurt. Sure, it may be hard, but that’ll when you know how it feels to be free.

People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated. --D.A. Carson

It is perilously easy to have amazing sympathy with God's truth and remain in sin.-- Oswald Chambers

DON'T SWEAT THE GOOD STUFF

There’s an old saying ”Don’t sweat the small stuff” meaning don’t bog yourself down and muddle your life with little things. Thus my title DON’T SWEAT THE GOOD TIMES. Blessed people are muddled down in fear of the future which may or may not be as they predict.

There are so many messages of gloom and doom going around that I just thought I would remind folks of who was in control.

If I believe that God created all things (which I do) and that He knows all things (which I do) and that he has prepared the paths for us and is with us unto the end of the world (which I do). Then why would I feel like the world is all out of control. It may be out of my control, but it’s not out of Gods control.

I heard a quote on Paul Harvey News the other day. “ How do you make
God laugh?… Tell Him YOUR plans for your life.

See… this is I believe the secret to a happy and joyous life. Accept Gods plans for your life.

Folks are all frightened that America is falling apart, the economy is failing, some foreign government is going to take over OUR country. There are millions upon millions who have never seen nor possibly dreamed of the fortunes and advantages that we have and grew up having. Boy, wouldn’t they like to be in YOUR shoes today as you wait for your world to collapse in on you? And no foreign government is ever going to take over MY country, they can’t reach it from on earth.

God knows those who are suffering in foreign countries and in the ole U S of A. If you find yourself being one of those please take comfort in this. Mt 28:20 “… and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.


Ps 31:22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

David said in his HASTE “ I am cut of from before thine eyes.” He knew better, just looked too closely at his worldly surroundings and was a little quick to assess his situation. Maybe so are we. But God was still right there, and He’s still right there with us.


"This time like all times, is a good time, if we but know what to do with it." Ralph Waldo Emerson


Ps 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

OH MY GOD

I was watching Brad talking to Tabitha, and Ohmygod, he turned and looked straight at me.

You shot a hole in that nickel? Ohmygod, how did you do that?

Oh-my-god you should have seen the look on Brenda’s face when she opened her gift.

Oh-my-god… that’s the weirdest spider I’ve ever seen.

It seems that the God of the universe has lost the reverence that folks ought to feel for Him. His name has become a trendy byword which is not with ought offence. Regard the following quotes instead and see the difference.

Ps 71:12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

Ps 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

Ezr 9:6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Da 9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Ex 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (#2 of the 10 commandments)

DOORS

Doors; as common in our lives as… Doors; there’s a bunch of em in our lives. Those of you who live in cities and towns encounter doors on a very regular basis. If you want to shop, push through a door; Eat, another door; haircut, another door. There are doors that only let you in, doors that only let you out, and doors that let you in or out.

Ever seen someone (or been someone) who walked up to a business, confidently reached for the door and pulled only to have the door jerk back? Ok then, push, and as before the door pushes back. Next we look to see if this is the right door and if the business is open or closed. Its really pretty amusing to watch the antics of this little routine.

When we walk up to a door we usually expect to be allowed its use, else we wouldn’t have approached it. Doors are most often used to allow one entrance or egress. Sometimes we enter a door into a place we didn’t expect to go. We might enter a restaurant that looks respectable enough on the outside, but lets say the waitresses have a little less skirt than modesty requires. You would want to know that the out door is working fine and that you would not have to continue in this environment any longer than is necessary.

I live in the country surrounded by woods and there are a lot of doors here that I can walk into and out of. In my thoughts I can walk in and out of doors at will. I have actually walked in doors while on a walk praying that needed an out door immediately. The Bible says that every man (or woman) is tempted in the same way, but that with every temptation God provides a way of escape. (a door… an egress).

There is no doubt in my mind about this truth. When a temptation… when every temptation I have ever had since I knew good and evil has at first entered my mind … I knew the door was there and I knew where it was. I want to tell you the truth… IF I WANTED TO ENTERTAIN THE TEMPTATION EVEN UNTO SIN WHICH BRINGS DEATH, I HAVE CLOSED MY EYES TO THE DOOR… THE WAY OF ESCAPE, AND ENDULGED MY FLESH UNTO DEATH.

I thank God that His free gift is eternal life, because I had stacked up a 401k with the wages of sin.

There IS a way of escape. It is not known of the world, nor do they care for it, but to those who are exercised in righteousness it is quit visible, very available, and enormously effective.

Ro 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Be sure to check before you enter a door… Should you find yourself hiding in the dark instead of the rock… make sure your out before closing time….